Title	CATAPULT AIR – NON-STOP TO SYLT.
Brand	SYLT MARKETING
Product/Service	THE ISLAND OF SYLT
Category	B02. Breakthrough on a Budget
Entrant	PHILIPP UND KEUNTJE Hamburg, GERMANY
Idea Creation	PHILIPP UND KEUNTJE Hamburg, GERMANY
Production	PHILIPP UND KEUNTJE Hamburg, GERMANY

Name	Company	Position
Diether Kerner	Philipp und Keuntje	Chief Creative Officer
Oliver Zacharias-Tölle	Philipp und Keuntje	Executive Creative Director
Guilherme Altreider	Philipp und Keuntje	Senior Art Director
Thorsten Binder	-	Senior Art Director
Klaus Huber	Philipp und Keuntje	Senior Copywriter
Jens Hoffmann	Philipp und Keuntje	Director Brand Consulting
Franziska Danger	Philipp und Keuntje	Client Service Director
Charlotta Dittmann	Philipp und Keuntje	Senior Project Manager
Christian Hibbeler	Philipp und Keuntje	Head of Film Department
Ines Wolff	Philipp und Keuntje	Producer
Caspar-Jan Hogerzeil	-	Director
Manuel Mack	-	Cinematographer
Hendrik Wonsak	-	Social Media Manager

Summary

Sylt is an idyllic island in the north of Germany. Most Germans dream to visit the island and the white sandy beaches it’s so famous for. Every day, almost 5,000 commuters must travel there on a single-tracked railroad. A massive bottleneck putting businesses and jobs in danger. Protests have been ignored for decades. In 2018 the situation was about to escalate after 150 trip cancelations took place in only two months. The image of Sylt and its tourism industry suffered strongly. The strategy needed to engage politicians that don’t take this dramatic situation seriously, without paying for lobbyists or an expensive campaign. The proposal should include a powerful call-to-action to mobilize people in the region, so politicians would finally approve the railroad expansion between Sylt and the mainland. After reaching a tipping point, the Sylt Marketing GmbH (SMG) grew desperate and contacted us to ask for a creative solution. The proposal had to reflect the rebellious yet laid back style of the people of Sylt. A strong, mobilizing statement was needed but it was very clear that it shouldn’t be aggressive or offensive for the German railroad and its workers. Our answer was the fictional airline Catapult Air and the use of strategic timing. We needed to move fast to take advantage of the “Sommerloch” – the summer slump, a two-month period during which few things are reported on the news as most institutions and families are on holidays. We launched the video at a time where a majority was open to the message, thinking about holidays, maybe even planning their visit to Sylt. Catapult Air is a fictional airline bringing people to the island of Sylt with a catapult. Much faster and more reliable than the German railroad. The goal: a call to action that connected with the audience while maximising resources to work with a very small budget. The result: a lovingly staged two-minute film with island residents starring as airline staff and passengers. Ending with an appeal to rally supporters for Sylt’s railroad expansion petition. After Catapult Air organically conquered social media and every major German media outlet, politicians couldn’t ignore the petition anymore. Only four months after releasing the video, the German minister of transport approved the railroad expansion with a budget of 221 million Euros. The island’s problem was solved with a super tiny budget and in a short period of time – achieving a 1.6 million Euros media value. The people’s longstanding fears and worries were finally gone. The creative strategy proved that a good idea can have a powerful political impact, without paying for lobbyists or an expensive campaign. It motivated people from all over the country to get involved and join those directly affected to create a positive outcome. In the end, the creative strategy increased the exposure of the brand Sylt and contributed to a better quality of life for residents and commuters.